Punjab’s three-member Cabinet sub-committee on mining on Friday said it would submit its final report within a fortnight by weeding out the loopholes existing in the previous mining policy.
Underlining that views of all stakeholders would be taken before formulating a “comprehensive mining policy”, the cabinet sub-committee would again meet on Tuesday after the panel head, local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, would personally meet the officers of the Ministry of Mines on Monday.
Sidhu, who is heading the sub-committee with Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and the Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa as its members, said that the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had sought report within one month from the sub-committee which is working dedicatedly to submit the same within a fortnight.
Presiding over the panel’s meeting with all the government as well as the private stakeholders associated with mining on Friday, Sidhu said that the Government would soon formulate and bring out a comprehensive policy on mining taking into account views of all stakeholders and emphasis would be on to weed out the lacunae in the previous mining policy.
The main objective of the new mining policy would be to plug in the revenue loss caused to the state exchequer, he said while making it clear that the government would have the right to fix the prices of sand.
After giving a patient hearing to all the stakeholders concerned, Sidhu said that while framing the new policy all the suggestions put forward by them would be given due consideration. He said that the new policy would be in accordance with the sand mining framework issued by the Union Ministry of Mines in March 2018.
He pointed that Haryana, which is smaller than Punjab in size, is minting Rs. 900 crore from mining, while also appreciating Himachal Pradesh’s crusher policy.
Sidhu assured that if properly as well as comprehensively framed mining policy is implemented, Punjab can also earn a fortune from the mining sector.
OFFICERS ASKED TO BRACE UP
FOR EFFECTIVE IMPlEMENTATION OF NEW POlICY
Earlier, the sub-committee held a meeting with the officers of the concerned departments including the Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Principal Secretary Mining and Geology Jaspal Singh, Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce Rakesh Verma, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, Director-cum-Secretary Mining Kumar Rahul and Punjab Mandi Board Secretary Amit Dhaka.
Sidhu instructed the officials of the department to brace up for the effective implementation of the proposed mining policy. “There would be provision of e-Transport permit and by scanning the bar-coded permit, information regarding volume, origin point, destination and timing would be displayed,” he said.
CONTRACTORS, CRUSHER OWNERS POINTED lOOPHOlES
After the meeting, the sub-committee held another meeting with the contractors and crusher owners associated with mining and ascertained their views as well as suggestions.
The contractors disclosed that the bidding is of two types — reserve and progressive — which has been challenged in the Supreme Court.
“They were of the view that the bidding should be of uniform type. They further pointed that the amount of quantity, present in the mining quarries auctioned earlier, was not ascertained scientifically which lead to the contractors unable to get expected mining minerals,” said the spokesperson.
Spokesperson added that they also pointed out that ‘no objection’ was not given by the owners of the sites which were allotted to them after bidding, and despite that, they have faced problems to get the right of way up to the mining quarries.
SHO SHIFTED ON COMPlAINT OF CONTRACTORS
Two contractors from ludhiana complained against the Sidhwan Bet SHO saying that he was harassing them and was himself embroiled in illegal mining.
Taking note of the complaint, local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu immediately talked with the state Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora after the meeting.
Acting swiftly, the police department issued orders of transferring the SHO of Sidhwan Bet Paramjit Singh to Sangrur district.